Stars in the Sky
by Dementra
Summary: WIP. Straw Hat crew-centric drabbles and one shots. Installment 7: Fishmen Island and its wondrous glamorous mermaids may by his heart's All-Blue, but staying there was neither his dream nor desire.
1. First Meetings, LittleMarine, No Regrets

**_Stars in the Sky_**

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yoai/yuri pairings

**Hi! Thanks for wanting to read this drabble/one shot fic. I wanted to try something new, and get my plot bunnies popping out of their burrows.**

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_Summary: Luffy, Zoro, and Coby's thoughts of each other__  
__Timeline: From Luffy meeting Coby to Zoro joining Luffy_  
_Main character(s): Luffy, Zoro, Coby_

**First Meetings**

Luffy didn't remember Coby informing him of the rumours regarding the pirate-hunting demon, the little girl, her sweetened onigiri, and her role in Zoro's capture. He didn't even remember the axe-wielding marine, his coward of a son, and the marines saluting to him.

What Luffy remembered was the certainty Zoro would be his swordsman, the joy he felt fighting alongside with him for the first time, the pride he felt when the pirate hunter called him Captain, and the confidence that everything would be alright now because he had Zoro.

**Little Marine**

Luffy, for one, didn't understand why Coby wanted to be a marine. Being a marine was boring. (And he really didn't want to be around his grandpa). Pirates had the freedom marines could only dream off.

However, just as Luffy knew he would be the Pirate King, the freest man in the world, he knew that pushover cry-baby Coby would become a fine marine. He didn't regret helping his small friend become a marine, even though it meant a potential future where they would fight to the death on different sides.

He would never regret helping a friend achieve their dreams.

**No Regrets**

There were numerous times when Zoro wondered why he even bothered to join such an idiotic happy-go-lucky man-child who followed crazy logics. Luffy was high maintenance. Anyone in the crew (and some people outside the crew) could account for that. And he doubted most pirates would have similar high-risk adventures they did.

Still, Zoro had once told Luffy that he lived his life with no regrets. And he had meant every word he said.

If Zoro had the chance to do everything all over again, the chance to stay as a pirate hunter or become a pirate, Zoro would change nothing (except maybe some of Luffy's more idiotic mishaps).

Luffy was his captain, and they were his nakama. Nothing would change that, not even death.

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**What do you think of my drabble/one shot fic? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the drabbles/one shots themselves and the OCs (if there are any)**

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_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


	2. Pirates

**_Stars in the Sky_**

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yoai/yuri pairings.

**I was re-watching Alrong's defeat, and this one bunny popped up.**

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_Summary: Pirates had always been seen as villains by Nami. That view hadn't changed until the Straw Hats came along.__  
__Timeline: From Nami's childhood to Arlong's defeat_  
_Main character(s): Nami, Straw Hats_

**Pirates**

As a child, pirates were nothing more than malevolent villains in stories of far away lands and marines were heroes of the people. Pirates were evil. Marines were good. Pirates raped (though she hadn't understood what that meant back then) and plundered. Marines protected the weak and returned stolen goods.

Back then, she had viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses. Despite being poor, despite being a burden (or so she had thought) to her adopted mother, life was good. Nothing bad would touch her. Pirates and evil had no part in her world.

Then He, a monster in monster skin, came into her life — the evil she had only speculated about invaded her home and single-handedly destroyed her happiness and her future — and the marines did nothing to help. He stole her village. He branded her as His — a mocking gesture, a chain to bind her, a reminder of the hostages, beloved people who now shun her for being in league with their dictator.

Her greatest talent became her greatest love and hate. And her hatred of pirates grew and grew.

For eight years, she sailed East Blue and honed her skills as a thief, returning to her village from time to time with armfuls of sea maps, maps she wished she had drawn under different circumstances.

Then he, a monster in human skin, literally dropped into her life. During the fight with the clown, she had agreed to cooperate with his two-person pirate crew for the moment. They were strong. She was going take their strength to her advantage. Or so she had told herself. There was the nagging whisper that she had felt accepted.

That whisper grew into a shout, especially with the addition of a coward pirate-wannabe.

Somehow, their laughter and idiotic antics shaded white into her blackened world of pirates. They were pirates, pirates who saved people, pirates who didn't have any money except for the ones they stole from the clown and the ones given by their sharpshooting liar's friend, pirates who never plotted destruction (except of their enemies) or raids, pirates who spent their days chasing boredom with fun and games.

For a while, she forgot her plight. For a while, she forgot the village waiting for her 100 million belli. For a while, she felt like she belonged.

When the harsh reality of her situation returned, through His bounty poster, she left the ragtag group at the first chance she got, ignoring the wrench in her heart. The longer she stayed, the more she set her goals aside. She mustn't do that. She mustn't forget the reason for her hardship. She had to leave before it became impossible for her to do so.

To her greatest surprise, they showed up, searching for her, fighting for her, despite all her attempts at pushing them away. Even her beloved village took up arms against their tyrant. Not knowing what to do anymore, she, with tears running down her face and blood flowing from the symbol of her imprisonment, whimpered for help.

And the idiotic, smart, childish, serious captain pounded her greatest nightmare into mince meat, proclaiming her as his nakama for all to hear.

Pirates had been distant.

Pirates had been black hate.

Pirates had been streaks of grey on black.

Pirates were now a messy canvas filled all sorts of colours and patterns, with a large, welcoming, straw hat painted right in the middle of it.

She had never been so proud of being a pirate.

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**What do you think of my ****drabble/one shot fic**? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the ****drabble/one shot **themselves and the OCs (if there are any)

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_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


	3. Dreams, Not Broken and Still Present

**_Stars in the Sky_**

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yoai/yuri pairings.

**Merry! I miss you! **

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_Summary: The adventures of the Straw Hat crew from Merry's perspective  
____Timeline: From Merry's recruitment into the Straw Hat crew and Merry's "death"_  
_Main__ character(s): Going Merry, Straw Hats_

**Dreams**

"I'll find All-Blue!"

"I'll be the pirate king!"

"I'll be the best swordsman!"

"I'll make a map of the world!"

"A-And I'll be a brave man of the seas!"

_A voice that went unheard to the five pirates declared:_

_"I'll carry the Straw Hats across the seas of adventure and beyond!"_

**Damaged but Not Broken, Gone but Still Present**

There wasn't a day that Merry went through without requiring some sort of damage ever since meeting the Straw Hat crew, even when they were back in East Blue.

Her childlike captain had no clue how to steer her properly, often making her collide into something. Admittedly, he did try to mend her, but his aid often ended up in a disaster, both for her and the crew. His lazy first-mate and his lady-loving cook never got along with each other, and their arguments often resulted into fights which damage their surroundings. Unfortunately, her body happened to be the surroundings most of the time. Her crew's domineering navigator, while never harmed her like the "Monster Trio" did, often dented her planks by stopping the boys' fight via bashing their head against her deck or walls. Her dear creator's master's friend tried really hard to fix the damage, but he just wasn't a shipwright. All he could do was patch her up with planks and metal sheets.

Still, Merry loved them all the same.

Then, they entered the Grandline where her beloved nakama grew. They now had a daring princess and her brave spotted-bill duck, an impressionable little doctor, and a mysterious archaeologist. Together, though not with all members at the same time, they travelled to different islands stuck in different times and seasons, to their princess's desert kingdom, up the knock-up stream and into the sky, freefalling from the white sea back to the blue sea, and much more.

Of course, in such a dangerous sea and with their growing reputation, they encountered more enemies, enemies which had no qualms regarding battles on the sea. They attempted to keep her from harm, but there were always the stray cannonball or harpoon that they missed. And the crew themselves never did ceased in their antics from East Blue.

As such, the damage on her body accumulated. Merry knew that she would be unfit for travel before her crewmates' dreams could be achieved, but she wouldn't give up until her treasured Straw Hats would be able to reach an island and find a new ship. There was no way she would leave them stranded in the middle of the sea, especially since there were Hammers on board, or on an island where a decent ship wouldn't be found.

Her wish came true when they reached Water Seven.

Still, it was more than heartbreaking when her captain and his sniper fought over her when the shipwrights revealed to them what she had known since their adventure on Skypiea. In a way, she was lucky one of the Straw Hats (though he had supposedly cut ties with the rest of them) stayed by her side. Otherwise, she would've never known the trouble her nakama had gotten into with the nasty marines.

(_Really, why couldn't they just leave her beloved alone and let them achieve their dreams? There were more pirates in the world than her Straw Hats. The marines should chase after them instead._)

Merry begged a shipwright to fix her damaged body as best as possible, sailed through the stormy seas where no ship dared to travel to Enies Lobby, and into the middle of the battle her crew and their new friends were having against fleets of marines. Delight filled her soul when they jumped into the ocean. _They heard her call! Her crew had returned! Her crew was safe!_

She strained to keep her creaking body from falling apart as they left the destroyed city. If she faltered, her family would be captured by the marines. If she stopped, her treasures would be stranded. If she failed, she would never forgive herself. It wasn't until they met the shipwright who had heard her pleads halfway back to Water Seven that she finally let go and allowed her body to be spilt into two.

Her captain set fire to her body, hoping to free her soul from spending the rest of eternity down in the dark depths of the ocean. Merry tried her best to make sure their flag was the last thing to be ablaze. After all, she was proud to be one of their nakama. None of her crewmates left her as she burned. They stood on dinghies provided by the shipwright and watched with tearing eyes. Summoning her remaining strength, Merry told her nakama how much she loved them before her body became too damaged to contain her soul.

Even though her body turned to ashes, her spirit still remained. She watched over her Straw Hats as they found new nakama and went on with their dangerous adventures. She stood guard over them when their body was too damaged to move. She comforted them to the best of her ability when their spirits were low. She cheered with them during their victories and parties.

Merry may not be able to physically carry them to reach their dreams anymore, but she would stay with her nakama as long as a piece of her still remained.

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**What do you think of my ****drabble/one shot fic**? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the ****drabble/one shot **themselves and the OCs (if there are any)

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_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


	4. His Girls

_**Stars in the Sky**_

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yaoi/yuri pairings.

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**His Girls**

_Summary: He may flirt with other females, but he would always return back to his girls__  
__Timeline: Before 3D2Y__  
__Main character(s): Sanji, Nami, Robin_

"Ah! What beauty!" a man exclaimed, sauntering over to her. "I had never seen such beauty before. Your hair is as bright as the sun, your eyes as precious as sapphires, and your skin as fair as moonstone." He knelt down on one knee, offering a red rose. "My lady, would you graciously accept this rose, though the smoothness of its petals surely pales in comparison to you?"

She blushed. The man was very handsome. Suave, too. He was probably well-off, judging by his suit. Not a criminal either, since she didn't remember seeing his face on the wanted posters. And she was single at the moment, though a chance to change that was kneeling right before her.

The women daintily took the offered flower. "Thank you, er..." She trailed off, hoping to get his name.

In one swift movement, he twirled up from his spot and bowed, like a noble would. "I am Mr. Prince, but you may call me—"

"Sanji-kun!"

Suddenly, the suave look disappeared, replaced by a love-struck expression. "Mellorine!" he said as he swirled around, clasping his hands before his chest.

She, too, looked over, curious as to what had caught his attention. It was a young woman with short orange hair, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and mini-short jeans. Pretty, but rather plain compared to her, the redhead decided.

"Mellorine!" her handsome prince swooned. Without a backwards glance or even a goodbye, he dashed over to the other women. "Mellorine!"

"Sanji-kun, help me hold these," the orange-haired girl ordered, gesturing at the small pile of bags by her feet.

In an instant, all the bags were dangling from his arms. "Hai, Nami-swan!"

"Don't you dare drop them. Some of the stuff are breakable."

"Hai, Nami-swan!"

The redhead just stared dumbly at the retreating pair. Had she just been dumped? And for someone who couldn't even hold candles to her appearance?

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Hey, sexy," a female purred into his ears. A soft body pressed up against his back, and a pair of slender arms snaked around his waist.

Sanji could feel the blood rushing to his head, threatening a nosebleed.

"You look wealthy, Mr. Sexy. There's a necklace that I want but I just don't have emough belli to buy it." he could hear the pout in her voice. "I promise you a _very_ good time if you buy it for me."

A tongue licked the nape of his neck, making him shiver. "Hai!" was the only answer his mind could provide.

"Goooood." She gestured at one of the stalls in the bazaar. "I want the thin sliver chained necklace with a raindrop-shaped sapphire surrounded by numerous tiny diamonds."

"Hai!"

When she finally let go of his back, Sanji twirled towards the stall with a lovestruck expression written across his face. He was about to pick up the necklace when something else caught his eyes - an old tome written in runes. _Robin-chan would love that_, he thought.

Sanji glanced at the price tag. Both the necklace and the book were being sold for the same price, but he only had enough money to buy one of the items.

It only took a spilt second decision before he picked up the tome and told the stall vendor, "I'll like to buy this."

After apologizing to the women, Sanji headed towards his home, their pirate ship, with the book, covered in a nice wrapping paper, in toll.

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**What do you think of my ****drabble/one shot fic****? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the ****drabble /one shot ****themselves and the OCs (if there are any)**

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


	5. Message Skin Deep

_**Stars in the Sky**_

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yaoi/yuri pairings.

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**Message Skin Deep**

_Summary: Looking at the 3D2Y, the desert princess was reminded of another time messages were conveyed through their left arm.__  
__Timeline: After Luffy went back to Marineford_  
_Main character(s): Vivi_

When she had first gotten the newspaper, the first thing Vivi had noticed was the photo of Luffy, battered but clearly not dead and certainly not imprisoned. She didn't even bother to read the article before running to the court room to inform her father. All that mattered to her was the proof her beloved nakama, the man she acknowledged as the next kaizoku-ou, was still alive.

It was later, when she really looked at the photo, that she realized something was off.

It wasn't the marines — many were lying unconscious and some were trying to capture the pirate. _(Knowing Luffy-kun, that wasn't surprising at all.)_

It wasn't the mummy-like state her captain was in. _(Though she was rather concerned. Vivi also betted that Tony-kun, wherever he was, would be really focused on their captain's injuries.)_

It wasn't the astonishing fact he had taken his precious straw hat off and bowed his head towards the reporters. _(Luffy-kun was a proud man. The one time she had seen him bow down to anyone was at Drum.)_

It was the symbol written on his right arm, peaking through the bandages.

3D2Y

Luffy had never struck her as someone who would get a tattoo, or a marking, without a good reason. The last time she had seen a symbol on his arm was during their parting. They all had written it on their left arm.

X

It was their way of identifying who was true Straw Hat member and who was Bon Clay. The okama can change his body to any of them and dressed the same way as the person he was disguised as, but he would never be privy of the symbol hidden underneath their bandages.

That X had later gained another meaning, one even more precious than its initial use.

_Nakama forever._ That was what the X had promised. She and Carue may no longer be sailing with the rest of the Straw Hat crew, but it wouldn't change the fact that they were nakama forever and beyond.

So, Vivi had no doubts that the 3D2Y, deliberately exposed in-between his bandages, was also another message for the crew. The rest of the article was garbage compared to the photo.

_But what did it mean? What was Luffy trying to tell them?_

After about half an hour of puzzling out, a thought struck her, a thought that wrenched her heart.

She and Carue may still be one of their nakama, but they were no longer privy to the Straw Hat secret messages and hidden adventures. 3D2Y was only meant for Mr. Bushido, Nami-san, Usopp-kun, Sanji-kun, Tony-kun, Robin-san, Franky-san, and whichever new member(s) the marines had yet to know.

She and Carue were no longer in the loop.

It saddened her. But, they had made their choices and now they would have to live with it. At least, they knew enough to notice the symbol was Luffy's true message; everything else he did was just for publicity.

Then the corners of Vivi's lips tugged upwards. Besides, there was one message none of the new members would ever know. _(Her adventures with the Straw Hats told her that they were more focused on the present and the future than the past, so it was not that likely the details of their saving Alabasta mission would have been discussed.)_

X meant nakama.

And nakama they would stay.

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**What do you think of my ****drabble/one shot fic****? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the ****drabble /one shot ****themselves and the OCs (if there are any)**

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


	6. Time Can't Heal Everything

_**Stars in the Sky**_

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yaoi/yuri pairings.

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**Time Can't Heal Everything**

_Summary: Time can't heal everything, but having such reliable nakama can sure dull the pain and chase the memories away.__  
__Timeline: from the beginning to the 3D2Y timeskip_  
_Main__ character(s): Brook, Franky, Robin, Chopper, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Zoro, Luffy_

Silence and loneliness had been his only constant after the death of the Rumbar Pirates. It had only grown worse when his shadow had been stolen by Gecko Moria, forcing him to spend his days amidst a fog so thick even the sun could not penetrate.

Illusions of his wondrous days as a Rumbar Pirate had constantly attacked him, driving him from the extreme happiness that the shadows were only a horrible nightmare to the extreme depression that the silence and solitude was reality.

There had been many days when Brook had nearly lost his mind in the darkness.

Then the Straw Hats barged into his life, bringing hope and an abundance of noise with them. They brought back his shadow, passed the message of Laboon's unrelenting wait for the Rumbar Pirates, provided a home and a new family, and made sure he never had to cower away from the sun nor did he have to face silence again.

Even at night, when most of them had gone to bed — whether it was their snoring, or them rolling out of their beds, or Luffy-san's nightly kitchen raid, or Robin-san reading in the library, or Nami-san finishing up her maps, or Franky-san doing some last minute tinkering, or Sanji-san preparing for the next day's meal — there was always some sort of sign he was no longer alone.

And when his nightmares of the days in the shadows came around as they were prone to do, at least one of them would always wake him up, greeting him with a smile, reminding him that there was nothing to fear because

He was now amongst nakama and they were there to stay.

And, even though Bartholomew Kuma had physically separated them, he knew that loneliness was now no longer in his vocabulary, for he could clearly hear the melody of his nakama's soul resonating with his like an orchestra that had no ending.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Regret had never been a frequent word he associated with, but when he did, it was always for something very serious. For instance, his inability to prevent Tom-san's death. That was the biggest regret in his entire life.

He hadn't been strong enough to stop the sea train, the sea train Tom-san had painstakingly built, from carrying its master to Enies Lobby, to his death. He hadn't been powerful enough to go up against the World Government. He had been too weak, too damn weak, to protect those who mattered to him.

Then the Straw Hats barged in, literally. They had invaded his territory and had easily defeated his subordinates, all for the sake of one of their members. That was just the tip of the iceberg for what the ragtag group would do for a comrade.

When Nico Robin (the one almost everyone, including himself, had thought was better off dead), had been escorted to Enies Lobby by the infamous CP9, the Straw Hats, undeterred by the abnormally large and violent Aqua Laguna and the impossibilities of getting out of Enies Lobby alive, had stormed into the government strong hold, declaring war on the World Government, all for the sake of rescuing one of their own.

Countless battles and seemingly hopeless situations later, a miracle occurred — they had all managed to escape Enies Lobby with the help of the Straw Hats' caravel, which had been left for the dead earlier. Somehow, the ship had gained a soul, and had risked everything to bring her precious burden to safety.

The Straw Hats had been able to do the one thing that he hadn't been able to do back then — protect their precious people, despite everything that was thrown at them.

He had also almost etched another regret into his life. He had almost stayed behind at Water Seven.

Now, he was a part of the Straw Hats. Together, they would make Thousand Sunny into his Dream Ship, the ship who sailed to the ends of the world, carrying everyone's dreams with it.

But the Shikubukai, Bartholomew Kuma, had shown them that they were still too weak to survive in the New World. He would get stronger in their two years of separation. He would get stronger so there would be no chance of having another regret in his life, even if it meant converting his body into a cyborg even more.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Ever since the Buster Call that had utterly obliterated Ohara and its citizens from the face of the world, betrayal had become an old friend of hers, one that she didn't like but followed her around like a parasite.

Kindness and goodness existed in this world, but she had never been truly privy of them after Ohara. She went from village to village, island to island, crew to crew, and organization to organization. And at every single place, she either betrayed or was betrayed.

Poneglyphs became her obsession, the only reason why she still struggled to live. Her country was annihilated because its citizens were trying to uncover the true history, the history undoubtedly hidden by the World Government. It was her duty as its last archaeologist to do what her family and friends died doing.

Along the way, she gained assassination skills and even more control over her Devil Fruit ability. She was the perfect spy — she was the eyes on the ceilings, the ears on the walls. Long distance killing was no trouble to her — an arm growing here and there and another spine was broken; a hand over a mouth and her victim's screams were muffled. It was just so easy that it was hard to believe she was once the weak girl who only found company amongst books and old archaeologists.

It was with those skills that brought her in front of Crocodile, the Shikubukai, the "Hero of Alabasta", who wanted to take over said kingdom from within the shadows. They both wanted the Poneglyph rumoured to be hidden in the desert country — one for its history and the other for information on an ancient weapon, Pluton.

There, she met Monkey D. Luffy, the boy, no, _man_ who would eventually become her captain. He forced her to live back when she was ready to die, buried with the Poneglyph. And so, when she recovered, she sneaked onboard his boat, the Going Merry, with the intention of joining and using this crew in mind.

They were _nothing_ like the pirate scumbags she had came across before. Well, she _knew_ they were different _(What kind of pirates saves a kingdom for a friend?)_, but even to her wildest and most optimistic thoughts, she had never imagined just how easily the Straw Hats grew on her. For once, she allowed herself to forget her troubles, to forget her grief, and drown in the joy and adventures that were the Straw Hats.

But reality caught up with her in the form of Aokiji and CP9. Once upon a time, she would've abandoned the crew in order to preserve her life, but she had gotten _too_ attached to the Straw Hats. All she could think of was sacrificing herself for them.

To her utter surprise, they, along with many others, stormed into Enies Lobby, a place of no return for criminals, risking their life for her and her fellow prisoner. Sencho-san, stubborn and unrelenting Sencho-san, blew away her walls of steel and ice with his demand and forcibly dragged out the small wish she had kept buried deep into her heart.

"I want to live!" she screamed. "Take me to the sea with you!"

And so they did.

All of them brushed with death that day, no one more than Sencho-san. When things seemed bleak and death seemed unavoidable, little Going Merry arrived with nothing more than his spirit driving him to save them. Together, they escaped the government island.

From then on, betrayal no longer existed for her. The carefree Sencho-san would never require any of them to do undercover work _(not that he seemed to even _know_ what 'undercover' meant)_, and she knew that none of her nakama would ever cast her aside for anything.

When she was separated from the rest of them due to Bartholomew Kuma and was invited to join the Revolutionaries, there was really only one answer on the mind: "Sorry, but no." She knew that joining the Revolutionaries would be safer than staying with the Straw Hats, especially since Sencho-san couldn't seem to do anything but bring trouble to them. But the Straw Hats forever had her loyalty and love.

Two years was nothing. She could wait another ten years if she must. In the mean time, she would get stronger and stronger. No one else was going to separate them ever again. No matter what.

XxXxXxXxXxX

From the moment of his birth, he had always been shunned, whether as a strange blue-nosed reindeer or a human-reindeer monster. Envy and loneliness, mostly the latter, stuck by him like glue. He tried, he really did; he tried to become accepted. When the herd was a no-go, he forced and trained himself to obtain a humanoid form through his Devil Fruit ability; he had even stayed by the humans, learning their language as best as he could. But even then, he was forced away.

"Monster!" they called.

"Kill him!" they said.

Running away with his tail between his legs was all he could do with his broken and battered body. Lying under the ever falling snow, he idly wondered if he was born to be alone.

Finally, one day, acceptance came in the form of a doctor whom everyone called wacky. But he didn't care. Doctor was the first being to ever accept him, and so, he would do _anything_ to repay the man, including becoming a doctor that would make Doctor proud. Doctor even introduced the concepts of pirates to him, the kind that never wavered and never died even in death.

But all good things had to come to an end — Doctor was slain by the servants of the greedy King of Drum _(though Doctorine would later tell him that Doctor had already been dying by then)_.

When the king run away from the might of Blackbeard, peace returned to Drum _(after said pirate left)_. He and Doctorine occupied the castle, and became the only doctors on the island as the rest had either been slain by the evil king or had joined him. They were reluctantly accepted by the villagers because of that, but even then, he tended to stay in his deer form whenever he left the castle.

Things were good. He could live like this with Doctorine forever, he thought, banishing the seed of loneliness to the back of his mind, covered by millions upon millions of medical information. He didn't let himself think of things like "wanting to become a human" and "I'm not a monster". Instead, he immersed himself into Doctorine's teaching with the sole goal of becoming a doctor, no matter how much a small part of him said how useless that dream was.

Light came in the bleeding half-frozen form of a strange human, who despite his injuries told, demanded, Doctorine to heal his two unconscious companions — "They're my nakama!" he coughed out before blacking out.

Nakama…

Such a foreign, and yet desired, word.

That same human protected Doctor's flag and defeated the gready king who came back to steal the island. But most of all, he accepted him, demanded him to go onboard his ship and become one of his nakama.

Even though leaving Doctorine behind left a slight bitter taste in his mouth, it was still his best decision ever. And the sakura blossom display after the great-escape-from-crazy-old-woman-and-their-sharp-projectiles (as Sanji recalled it) only proved that Doctor, from beyond his grave, and Doctorine were both happy for him.

He had been accepted by everyone on Going Merry; they even had a large party to welcome him. Still, a part of him, a part that was decreasing by the day, still told him to try and fit in, to not be a "monster", a word that haunted him since birth.

It wasn't until the Straw Hats utter defeat that something snapped in him and released a spark. That ember grew into an inferno upon receiving the news about Luffy, Ace, and Marineford. It burned away the shadows in his mind, and one thought engrained itself in its place:

For Luffy and the others, he could become anything, even a true monster.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Everyone had always laughed about his dreams to find All-Blue, everyone except for two people — the one who had taken him in and taught him everything he had, and the one who showed him that all dreams are reachable.

Luffy showed him that the only thing holding him back from pursuing his dream was his heavy sense of guilt that refused to budge, even though its recipient had forgiven him long before that feeling had even taken root. Back then, he thought he was free, he thought he was happy, he though he was strong.

But he wasn't.

He was chained.

He was longing for something his mind closed off to.

He was weak.

Kuso-jiji taught him the skills to survive in this harsh violent world, both as a cook and someone who wouldn't bow down to enemies, but Luffy showed him how to break free of chains and strive for freedom amongst numerous strong competitors. _(And of course, the wonderful beautiful _ladies_! Mellorine! 3) _Alongside his nakama, he grew stronger and stronger, both in spirit and in strength.

He didn't regret anything he had done — leaving Baratie, sailing under the Straw Hat flag, making himself a criminal, not receiving recognition for saving Alabasta, and declaring war on the world. The only things he would've chosen to change were robbing kuso-jiji of his leg, his awful terrible horrible bounty picture, and his lack of power to defend his nakama against Bartholomew Kuma.

He wanted, no, he _needed_ to become stronger. He also needed to help his nakama in any way he can, which was through his legs and his cooking. These okama, as sickening as they were, had the recipes he needed to strength his crew's body and health. He was going to get them. No matter what!

For his nakama, he could, and would, endure any hell.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Lies meant denying reality, and he was a pathological liar. His storytelling started out as a way to cheer his sickly mother up, but it gradually became something he relied on. The stories he told weren't only for Kaya or for his three subordinates/friends — they were for him.

They kept his hopes up that one day, one day, he would truly be the man of the seas he described himself as in his tall tales. They kept him from the cold reality that his house was cold and lonely at night. They kept him company when solitude was too much to bear. They kept the abandonment he felt for his father, who despite everything had his mother's undying love and loyalty even as she was hurting deep inside.

But even he knew they were just dreams, something that would never come true.

Or so he thought.

Out of nowhere, three pirates landed on his island and changed his life forever. They came just in time to save his village and Kaya from the Black Cat pirates. When the trio left, they left with a caravel and a fourth member.

He still couldn't believe that Luffy offered him a spot just like that — he was weak, he was a coward, he was nothing compared to them — and yet he was now one of them. And he thanked even deity he could think of for that.

Even as he grew stronger, he was still weak mentally, though he was blinded from it by his own self-deception. It reared its ugly head in Water Seven, during the fight with Luffy over Merry-Go. In a way, the CP9 incident was a good thing. Without that, he was sure he would've never found his courage to rejoin the Straw Hats before the crew left.

That wasn't all. It showed him how weak and strong he was and what role he had with his nakama. The event also showed him that Luffy wasn't as invincible as he had idealized to be, though that insight didn't truly come about until the battle with Moria and their utter defeat via Bartholomew Kuma.

He knew he was a weak link of the group. He thought Luffy didn't need him to become the Pirate King. But he was wrong. Everyone's effort was needed. Like Luffy has said back when he was facing against Arlong, his captain couldn't do everything; that was why he surrounded himself with people who could do what he can't.

And he was one of those people. None of his crewmates have the same sniping abilities he did. As proven by the Eines Lobby event where he had saved Robin from afar, he was essential to the team.

He couldn't let them down. He had to get much stronger, much much stronger, much much much stronger. He couldn't be the weak link anymore.

After these two years, he might not be as good of a liar anymore since he would have the strength to back up his words, but it would all be worth it to have the power to confidently stand by his nakama's side, aiding them in any way he could to make sure they would never face that dark despair ever again.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The moment Arlong came into her life, despair and pain were all she had felt. She lived her life in desperation, knowing that she was her village's only hope and that the only person she could consult with was Nojiko since the villagers all thought she had truly became part of the Arlong pirates.

She avoided looking at mirrors when without a shirt, looked to her right when changing, and always wore sleeves unless she was in the presence of her most hated enemies. That symbol, that brand, on her left shoulder was nothing more than a mark of slavery for her. And she loathed to be reminded of it.

Then somehow, the key to her most desired freedom literally dropped down in front of her from the sky. From then on, the flap of the straw hat-wearing butterfly's wings forged a storm so strong her ten-year cage was beaten into pulp, opening the doors to the endless seas, but it didn't just stop there. She, along with several others, rode that ever growing wind, witnessing as it tore through shadows and challenged reality, changing the world around them and their world.

There were many close brushes with death, but each and every single one of them got through alive. That made them arrogant. Paradise couldn't keep up with the storm, but the New World just might. Bartholomew Kuma gave them a taste of what the New World offered, a very very bitter taste.

And when news arrived that Luffy had participated in the War of the Best _without them_ and lost his beloved brother in it, her heart ached for him, knowing full well how losing a loved one felt like. She used almost every trick she had learnt over the years under Arlong's truancy, attempting escape from Weatheria, only to settle down when the next piece of news came — their captain, their selfish selfless brilliant dumb annoying lovable captain, ordered them to train for two years and then meet up.

How could they refuse this request?

Simple. They can't.

And so they would follow his orders, with the knowledge that their captain was alright _(he _had_ to be)_ and the rest of their nakama were still out there somewhere alive _(she absolutely refused to think otherwise)_.

It was a good thing that she landed in Weatheria, the center for all weather-related information. Knowing Luffy's luck, they would somehow get into troubles no one else would've gotten into otherwise and still somehow, against all odds, get out alive, barely, but nevertheless alive. Of course, out on the open seas, brute force meant nothing if you can't navigate, so she would definitely pound all of Weatheria's knowledge into her brain in these two years and use it to safely bring her nakama anywhere they wished through the hazardous oceans of the Grandline.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kuina had been his one goal, his one fixation, right up until her untimely death. Then the obsession focused on their dream — to become the strongest swordsman in the world. His whole life was than consumed by the thought of defeating Mihawk. Becoming known as a famous pirate hunter in the East Blue was nothing more than the result of getting lost on the seas and hunting the passing pirates for their bounties to get food.

Then something happened with the marines, an event he had deemed unimportant, and he somehow got roped into forming a two-man crew with a silly rubber captain. One by one their crew grew, and each of the Straw Hats made it into the newspapers and wanted posters. There were many things he didn't recall from their adventures, but he was sure that he remembered the most important things — like how they were nakama, and no matter how they clashed on daily basis, he would watch their backs, confidently knowing they'd watch his.

Separated from them after their overwhelming defeat at Shabody was a huge blow to his pride. Landing in the middle of nowhere, not knowing how his nakama were, bothered him so much he couldn't even take a nap. But what hurt the most was the knowledge that their captain faced a devastating war and losses without them being by his side.

That won't happen again. Definitely.

All of them would grow stronger in these two years, strong enough to be with their captain in all of his adventures, strong enough to live through them _together_. For that alone, he could forsake his pride and bow his head low towards the person he most wished to defeat, begging to gain that strength to overcome that same person and to cut down all enemies in their path.

One day, their individual and united strength would be revered all over the world, and amongst the crowds, whispers would sound:

_"Did you see? Did you see? That's Mugiwara no Luffy, the Pirate King, and his crew."_

_"Yeah, and that one over there beside him is Pirate Hunter Zoro, the greatest swordsman in the world."_

XxXxXxXxXxX

Jii-chan had been the only family he had known. The existence and absence of his mother and his father had never registered in his mind, and so he had never sought to know them.

When he was seven, his scary, and yet sometimes nice, jii-chan, had handed him over to a group of mountain bandits under the leadership of Dadan. There he met two other boys who would eventually become his older brothers after a series of mishaps — Ace and Sabo. For a while, everything was alright, everything was alright with his world.

But then he experienced the despair of losing a loved one for the first time at the age of seven and three became two. On that cliff, right beside Ace, he vowed to become stronger, strong enough to protect everyone he treasured, to make sure he would never have to feel the same misery ever again.

Only, he wasn't.

He wasn't strong enough to protect Ace. Ace was the one who protected him, and he died for it. His last brother, his family, disappeared right before his eyes and he was utterly alone. Darkness filled him and all was left was a void.

Until Jimbe knocked some sense into him and reminded him that he wasn't alone — he still had his precious nakama, the ones who were still waiting for his return, the ones who were still alive.

He couldn't really recall the details of how he got his nakama, but that didn't matter. He remembered only the important parts, and that was enough.

He remembered the steely gaze of a man people called demon. He remembered the thrill of fighting alongside the swordsman back-to-back. He remembered the mischievous look in her eyes which veiled a lingering sense of desperation. He remembered his thief of a navigator risking her life for a stranger, for her morals. He remembered the trembling figure that bought a sense of nostalgia from a time he first met pirates. He remembered the burning courage beneath the cowardice of his talented sniper. He remembered him chained down by the shadows of his heart. He remembered the passion his cook tried to stifle.

He remembered his utter fluffiness and deliciousness (not that he had actually taken a bite). He remembered his doctor whose treasure was a pirate flag that hadn't been defeated by those pirate-pretenders. He remembered her soft smile hiding loneliness and a sense of hopelessness. He remembered his archaeologist being weighed down by a heavy darkness. He remembered his anger at his men for beating up his sniper. He remembered the utter excitement of discovering a new cool robotic aspect of his shipwright. He remembered the thrill of meeting a talking walking skeleton. He remembered the bleak despair in his musician's hollowed eyes under the thick fog.

He remembered thinking '_they are the one_' when meeting each of his nakama, even though it took some time for the words to truly take route due to outside events.

As the captain, he had to be the strongest; he had to be able to defeat anyone his nakama couldn't. No, not because he was the captain. He just didn't want to lose anyone anymore. He needed the power to protect everyone he cared about, even if he meant not seeing his nakama for two whole years.

_Ace, Sabo, Shanks, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook… once again, I promise, kaizoku-ou ni ore wa naru!_

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**What do you think of my ****drabble/one shot fic****? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the ****drabble /one shot ****themselves and the OCs (if there are any)**

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_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


	7. Of Dreams and Wishes

_**Stars in the Sky**_

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yaoi/yuri pairings

**Sorry for not updating sooner. It had been a crazy two months and I hadn't gotten the time to transcribe this drabble from my notebook and upload it. Anyhow, here it is. I hope you'd like this one as much as you like the previous ones.**

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_**Of Dreams and Wishes**_

_Summary: Fishmen Island and its wondrous glamorous mermaids may by his heart's All-Blue, but staying there was neither his dream nor desire.__  
__Timeline: Fishmen Island Arc__  
__Main character(s): Sanji, Straw Hats_

Fishmen Island was truly one of the few paradises on Grandline. (No matter what _certain_ people claimed, that unspeakable hell was _definitely _not one of them.) Yes, there were its dark sides, but he could easily brush them aside in favour of the wondrous glamorous mermaids. (_Mermaido! Mermaido! Mermaido!_ Ah. He could already feel a nosebleed coming along just by thinking about them.)

This place was truly his heart's All-Blue.

He would've loved to stay there forever, frolicking with the mermaids to his heart's delight. He would've if he didn't have his most important dream and nakama.

Fishmen Island mermaids may be his heart's All-Blue, but it wasn't the true All-Blue. His dream was the reason he left Baratie the Floating Restaurant in the first place — All-Blue, the place where all the Blues converge, the place where you could find sea creatures belonging to the normally segregated seas, a sea chef's paradise.

Moreover, Fishmen Island was merely a stepping stone in the Straw Hat pirates' grand adventure. He had endured two full years of absolute hell for his nakama; he could definitely leave paradise for them as well.

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**What do you think of my fan****fic****? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer:**** Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but fanfic itself and the OCs (if there are any)**

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_May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra_


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